Measurement of single ion channel conductance in planar lipid bilayers (PLBs), formed across a nanometer or micrometer (μm) scale aperture, is part of research pertaining to DNA sequencing, chemical sensing, biophysics, medicine and drug discovery. Isolation of a single ion channel in a bilayer allows for detailed measurements of channel conductivity and studies of analytes interacting with the channel. Single ion channels in bilayers also provide for the study of ion channel structure and function through measurement of channel conductance and gating.